Writing a research paper

Teresa S. Welsh, Melissa S. Wright, in Information Literacy in the Digital Age, 2010

Research paper format
The research paper format varies according to the discipline and the professor’s instructions,
but below is one example of the required format for an analytical paper.
[Research paper title page format: an appropriate title for the paper should be centered with
major words capitalized.]
Research Paper Title
 Student Name
 E-mail address
 Course Number
 Date
[Research paper body format: distinguish between topic headings and subtopics/subheadings;
for example, center main topics or headings, left-align subtopics/subheadings.]
Introduction
Background information about the topic of the study and importance of the study. (The
importance of the study may come at the beginning or the end of the introduction section.)
Purpose of the study
Clear, concise and focused purpose of the study: the problem statement including sub-
problems.
Research questions or hypotheses
Clearly state the specific research questions or hypotheses. Choose one but not both. Use the
present tense and number appropriately: R1, R2, etc. for research questions; H1, H2, etc, for
hypotheses.
Definitions
List relevant terms or acronyms and their definitions. Properly cite the source(s) of the
definitions.
Limitations and delimitations of the study
State what is included in the study and what is excluded from the study.
Assumptions
State the assumptions embedded in the research design.
Importance of the study
End the introduction section with a statement about the importance of the study unless this is
addressed in the introductory paragraphs.
Literature review
The literature review paints the background for the research, creating a frame of reference
and context. Research builds upon previous research so it is important to recognize and credit
previous studies that are similar in topic and methodology.
Use subtopics if appropriate. Some topics have a previous body of research that is related to
the topic and methodology but students may find research related to the topic and other
studies that use the same or similar methodology but few or no previous studies that use the
same methodology to study the same topic. In this instance, it is appropriate to have a
subtopic on studies related to the subject or topic of the study and another subtopic related to
studies that use the same methodology as this study on similar topics.
Subtopics should follow a logical flow. For instance, when reviewing the studies that use a
particular methodology, it would be useful to put them in chronological order within that
subtopic to indicate a progression of the research that leads up to this research.
Each review of a scholarly study should include a summary of the methodology and results. It
should be clear to the reader how each study reviewed is related to this study. End with a
concluding paragraph about how this study is similar to or different from the studies
reviewed.
Methodology
Begin the methodology section with a description of the methodology used in this study.
Include details of data sources, how appropriate data are identified, and data collection
procedures (detailed enough so that it could be replicated by others). State how data are
compiled and analyzed, including software used such as Word tables or Excel. (For
a research proposal, the methodology should be written in the future tense; for a
final research report, the methodology should be changed to the past tense).
Results
Restate each research question or hypothesis (these may be used as subheadings), then the
results of the data analysis. Research questions are answered or addressed; hypotheses are
tested and supported or not supported by the data (do not use the word ‘prove’). It is desirable
to use tables (data in columns and rows) and figures (charts, graphs, images) to illustrate data
analysis. Each table or figure should be appropriately titled and numbered and referenced in
the text (‘see Table 1’). Tables or figures longer than three-quarters of a page may be placed
at the end of the paper as an appendix and referenced appropriately in the text (‘see
Appendix’). If the study is a survey, include the survey instrument as an appendix. Number
appendices if there is more than one (‘see Appendix 1’). Data in tables or figures may be
single-spaced or 1½ spaced. Journal or book titles in tables or figures should be italicized or
underlined just as in the text.
Discussion
Summarize and discuss the research results. Compare the results with the results of previous
studies reviewed in the literature review. Discuss possible general conclusions (using
cautious language) that may be drawn from the study results. End with a concluding
paragraph that suggests further research related to this study.
Bibliography (or References or Works cited)
List citations of works referenced in the paper in chronological order by author. Use the
required citation style (or the style of your choice if permitted) and be consistent.